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Choose your weapon: Colon or Foster?

The Steelers will have to make a decision whether or not they plan to sign unrestricted free agent guard Ramon Foster during the offseason.

Make no mistake about it, if Foster returns next year, Willie Colon won’t.

The Steelers would have to pay Foster starter’s money and assure him a starting spot for him not to test the free agent market in March, and to do that, they would likely have to release Colon — who has three years left on his 5-year, $29 million deal that he signed before training camp in 2011.

The decision just may come down to dependability.

Foster has started 30 consecutive games and 42 of the Steelers past 44 games including Super Bowl XLV despite getting shoved to the bench in each of the past three years — first by Trai Essex then Doug Legursky and finally David DeCastro.

Meanwhile, Colon has landed on injured reserve in each of the past three seasons with three different injuries (Achilles, triceps, knee). Colon has played only 11 of the Steelers’ 52 games in three years. However, when Colon was healthy this year, he was dominant and the run game flourished.

A decision needs to be made.

“I hope I am (with the Steelers) but i guess if the opportunity arises …” Foster said. “I am definitely open to whatever.”

Bottom line is Foster wants to be a starter and he wants paid, and he’s shown that he is deserving of both. And if you watched the NFL this year, many of teams would love to have a guy like Foster on their offensive line and especially for an affordable price.

How much would it cost to get a deal done with Foster?

Well, Buffalo signed Kraig Urbik, a former Steelers’ draft pick who Foster beat out in training camp in 2010, a couple week ago to a 4-year, $13.3 million with a $3.5 million signing bonus. That would probably enough to lock up Foster.

But in the end, Foster’s versatility may end up hurting him more than it helps him.

He can play both guard spots and both tackle spots as well. He was forced to play right tackle in the season finale against Cleveland. How many starting offensive line in the league of any note do you see flopping from position to position?

It's nice that some of these guys are a jack of all trades but, you do need a master at their trades at times and I believe offensive line is one of those spots. Every position is one of those spots I suppose so, " I'd rather see a pro at every position and if need be, fill in for someone else but, not a second stringer trying to do the job of a first stringer. "
Obviously we don't get to have it all.
It's also my opinion something from the coaching to the head office is not doing something correctly and I'd say the coaching is at fault when it comes to our o-line. Somewhere down the line our guys are not being trained, taught, developed conditioned or used correctly. See, I blames all the o-line troubles on Arians and I think Haley was making up for it with his play calling and scheme. I think the injuries now/curently along with Bens injury placed things in a mix up at the moment. Beachum a low round draft pick didn't do too bad in my opinion and I give more credit to Haley than anyone else.
As for Colon, I never liked his input, performance or that he never sees himself as the problem. I'll never forget when that dumb fu(ker said after the Philly game a few years back when Ben got creamed, " we may have lost but over all, our o-line graded well. " What an idiot ! And to add on top of that, Arians did nothing to help with the play calling.

Haley has the job of getting these guys out of bad habits for one, having them learn a new system.

I wouldn't want Foster or Colon to be honest and I'd rather take my chances with a FA. Foster is okay for a backup, Colon has one or two good games a years so everyone gushes over him and forgets quickly just how lousy he is the other 13 games and 13 games my foot, it takes him four full season to get in 13 games the freakin china doll.

The cap hit will be rough on the Steelers as Oviedo stated. This is where I blame all the coaches and the front office. Are they not seeing what we see with Colon ? Seasons of penalty flags thrown, missed blocks, false starts, drive killing flags thrown, injury after injury. What the heck were they thinking when they had given him all that money ? Oh yeah, Ariians avowed that Colon was the best right tackle in the NFL. Well, the mole is gone so hopefully Haley can right the ship.

From "unnamed" sources found online...I believe cutting Colon saves ~1.2 million this next year if done before June 1. If they wait til after June 1, they save ~5.5 million this year with ~4.3 million in dead money on next years cap.

I say wait on Colon. If Chance Warmack is available at 1.17, and they like him enough, draft him. Then you have the freedom to cut Colon after June 1 and you already have a guy in his place who is likely better and cheaper even with his salary added on to Colon's dead money hits.

I would also try to sign either Foster or Legursky to a backup-level contract (more likely to be Legursky) as some insurance in case anything goes wrong or to prepare for the inevitable injuries that will come.